Victor McLaglenWiki-Military service McLaglen left home at 14 to join the British Army with the intention of fighting in the Second Boer War. However, much to his chagrin, he was stationed at Windsor Castle in the Life Guards and was later forced to leave the army when his true age was discovered.

Four years later, he moved to Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada, where he became a local celebrity,[8] earning a living as a wrestler and heavyweight boxer, with several notable wins in the ring.[9]He also briefly served as a constable in the Winnipeg Police Force in 1907.

One of his most famous fights was against heavyweight champion Jack Johnson in a six-round exhibition bout.

This was Johnson's first bout since winning the heavyweight title from Tommy Burns. Between bouts, McLaglen toured with a circus, which offered $25 to anyone who could go three rounds with him.

He returned to Britain in 1913 and during the First World War served as a captain (acting) with the 10th Battalion, Middlesex Regiment. Later, he claimed to have served with the Royal Irish Fusiliers. He served for a time as military Assistant Provost Marshal for the city of Baghdad.[12] He continued boxing, and was named heavyweight champion of the British Army in 1918.[10]

After the war, he continued boxing.

"I won't be wronged, I won't be insulted, and I won't be laid a hand on. I don't do these things to other people and I require the same from them." - John Wayne in "The Shootist"

I hesitate to bring up Alain Delon, because he is probably not a good role model; either his early life was too close to his screen persona as a stone-cold killer/gangster/renegade for comfort, or it is a carefully constructed image. He did however enlist in the French Navy at age 17, was trained as a radioman, then caught stealing stuff, and given a choice between prison and extending his term from three to five years. Taking the latter, he was sent to Indochina as a marine. He latter said learning to kill there was the best time of his life; a superior allegedly called him a sadist who enjoyed killing entirely too much. I have some doubts about this; per French Wiki, he served in a company protecting Saigon, and while the fusiliers marins conducted riverine operations in Indochina, they are a small corps frequently used as security troops for naval shore installations, with little opportunity for free-ranging killing sprees.

Anyway, Delon spent the last eleven months of his service in military prison before being dishonorably discharged for ditching a stolen jeep in an arroyo after a joyride. While drifting from job to job afterwards, he allegedly made friends in the criminal scene of Marseilles, and remained close to the head of a Corsican mob clan. Two of his bodyguards and ex-/present lovers of his then-wife Nathalie wound up dead in the 60s; one got shot at a party at Mickey Rooney's house in Hollywood both men attended, the other was found wrapped up with his head bashed in at a Paris dump. The latter left a note saying "if something happens to me, it's the fault of Alain Delon and his gangster friend Marcantoni". It was a major affair because the guy had allegedly been taking pictures at high society sex parties including Delon and the wife of French prime minister Georges Pompidou, but was never resolved; suspiciously like a French crime movie.

Had a shitty childhood, stepdad beating the shit out of him. A juvenile gangster. Sent to a boys home. Finally joined the Marines, had a rocky start, but ended up straightening out his life. Was an honest to goodness auto and motorcycle racer. Learned martial arts from Pat Johnson (played a bit part in Enter the Dragon), and of course his friend Bruce Lee. The guy was no fluff muffin.

Originally posted by Chris42:Not exactly an actor/actress, Queen Elizabeth was a military truck driver during WW2. At the time she was only a Princess.

Someone didn’t read the cslinger’s original post

If we're doing Brits from the general entertainment field, I nominate singer James Blunt. Actual family name Blount, from a military family that goes back to about when the Danes invaded England in the 10th century. Followed in the footsteps of his father who was a cavalryman and helicopter pilot, went to Sandhurst Military Academy and served in the Life Guards Regiment of the Household Cavalry. Volunteered to deploy to Kosovo with the Blues and Royals sister regiment in 1999 as a Scimitar reconnaissance vehicle troop leader. Apparently his unit was point in the NATO drive on Pristina airport that was eventually taken by the Russians in a surprise move, resulting in a tense stand-off.

He later stood guard at the Queen Mother's coffin and got out as a captain in 2002 before launching his musical career. "No bravery" was written while he was in Kosovo, and the video features footage from the video diary he did during his deployment.